Pencil-sharpener



(No Model.)

A. H; FANGHER.

PENCIL SHARPENBR- No. 491,996. Patented Feb. 21; 1893.

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By his Attorneys,

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NITEDI STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALTON H. FANOHER, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PENCIL-SHARPEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 491,996, dated. February 21, 1893.

Application filed May 23, 1892. Serial No. 433,976 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALTON H. FANOHER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil-Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sharpeners for pencils, and particularly to that class of sharpeners having a continuous circular cutting surface adapted to be held in one hand, and against which the pencil to be sharpened is rubbed while held in the other hand. Heretofore such sharpeners have required the exercise of much care and skill in order to insure uniform contact between the pencil and the sharpening surface throughout their relative movements.

My invention aims to provide an improved pencil sharpener operating on this general principle which will be easy of operation, and with which no skill will be required in order to give an even point to the pencil.

To this end in carrying out my invention, I provide a circular roughened surface for cutting the pencil, and a pencil holder pivoted axially of said surface and constructed to hold the pencil thereagainst, the surface and holder constructed respectively to be held in the respective hands of the user, and while so held to be rotated one around the other, whereby during such rotation the pencil is held by the holder uniformly against the cut ting surface, and without rotation on its own axis during the relative movement of the holder and surface, thereby permitting uniform and rapid sharpening of the pencil. Preferably I provide a disk or cup having a handle portion for convenience in holding it, a roughened periphery consisting of two adjacent annular roughened faces respectively coarse and fine, and a central body portion,

to which latter the holder'is pivoted axially of the roughened faces and nearest to the coarse face, the holder being preferably constructed with a tubular portion for receiving the pencil arranged adjacent to the roughened faces and adapted when holding the pencil to maintain its point in contact with said faces, whereby the periphery of the pencil is cut, its point on the finer face and its body on the coarser face, and preferably said tubular portion is extended laterally to constitute a handle to be held by the portion of the hand of the user, while the remainder of this hand of the user grasps the body of the pencil.

By preference the pencil cutter is constructed to serve conveniently as a paper weight, and I also prefer to provide on the holder and disk a cigar cutting provision by means of which the tip of a cigar can be readily cut by relative movement of said parts.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating one form of my invention, which is the preferred form thereof, Figure l is a side elevation partly in vertical axial section on the line 11 in Fig. 2, of a pencil sharpener embodying my invention; and Fig. 2 is a front view thereof partly broken away.

Referring to the drawings, let A represent a circular roughened surface for cutting the pencil, B a pencil holder pivoted axially of said surface and constructed to hold the pencil thereagainst, said parts being constructed the one to be rotated around the other, and let 0 represent the pencil to be sharpened.

The roughened cutting surface A must essentially be circular or substantially so, and adapted to cut away the pencil as the one is moved relatively to the other. In other respects the roughened surface maybe variously disposed. I prefer the construction illustrated wherein a disk or wheel D, preferably cup shaped, carries the roughened surface A on its periphery, preferably its outer periphery. In thisform the disk D is preferably constructed with an outwardly projecting flange or handle or, preferably knurled on its edge by means of which the disk can be conveniently held in one hand of the user. Preferably the disk is tapered on its outer periphcry to give the desired degree of angularity to the point of the pencil. Preferably the disk is constructed with a flat metal portion 1), to which the holder B is pivoted at a point 0 axially of the roughened surface A, being preferably pivoted at this point by a stud or rivet 2.

By preference the roughened surface A is constructed of two adjacent annular roughened faces f and g respectively coarse and fine, the coarse face f being located nearest the pencil holder 13 and the fine face 9 away there from. By this construction the pencil is held by the holder with its point against the fine face and its body against the coarse one, whereby during operation the periphery of the pencil is cut, the point fine and the body coarse, an arrangement desirable by reason of the relative strength of these two portions of the pencil, and in lead pencils also desirable by reason of the differing qualities of the materials constituting the body and point.

The pencil holder B may be of any suitable or convenient construction, but should be pivoted axially of the roughened surface A, and constructed to hold the pencil uniformly in position against said surface throughout the relative rotation of the parts. I prefer the construction shown wherein the pencil holder is constructed with a tubular portion E, extending parallel with its pivotal axis, adapted to receive the pencil and maintain it in juxtaposition relatively to the roughened surface A, and with a large flat body portion F resting against and substantially covering the metal portion Z) of the disk or wheel D, and pivotally connected thereto by the stud or rivet e. Preferably the tubular portion E of the pencil holder consists of an aperture 7L, and a laterally extending sleeve or handled inclosing the body of the pencil for some distance, and adapted to be grasped by a portion of the hand of the user, while the projecting outer end of the pencil is grasped by the remainder of this'hand of the user, whereby the pencil is prevented from rotation relatively to the hand grasping it, while it and the holder may together berotated on the pivotal axis of the latter around the roughened surface A, or it may be held stationary while the roughened surface and the holder are rotated around its axis. To facilitate the rotation of the holder or roughened surface while the pencil is held, the exterior of the sleeve t' is made smooth, whereby it will easily slip around within the portion of the hand of the operator which is holding it and the pencil.

To provide for the escape of any chips or other material that may enter between the body F of the holder and the metal portion 1) of the disk or wheel D, the latteris preferably provided with a plurality of apertures j beneath the bodyFof the holder, through which apertures any such chips or grit may fall during the operation of the sharpener.

Preferably the sharpener is constructed to serve when not used as a sharpener, as a paper weight. To this end, the construction shown is particularly advantageous, since the wide flange or handle a may be placed on the paper to be held down, while the tubular portion E and the holder B may be used as a handle for lifting the device when used as a paper weight.

Preferably the device is constructed to serve as a cigar cutter, this being best accomplished by providing an undercut knife-edged aperture in the metal portionb of the wheel D, and a corresponding oppositely beveled aperture Z in the body portion F of the holder, the two being arranged in juxtaposition, whereby when the tip of a cigar is inserted through the two apertures, and the holder is then turned relatively to the wheel, the opposing edges of the apertures Z and 70 will as they approach cut off the tip of the cigar.

In operation, the pencil O is passed through the aperture h of the tubular portion E of the holder, and its body is then grasped by one portion of the hand of the user, while the sleeve .or handle t' of the holder is inclosed by the remainder of this hand of the user. The other hand of the user grasps the flange or handle a of the disk or wheel D, and one hand with its contents is then rotated relatively to the other, or both are oppositely rotated as desired, during which motion the entire periphery of the point of the pencil is acted on by the roughened surface during each complete revolution of the latter, whereby the pencil is quickly and uniformly sharpened.

It will be seen that my invention provides a simple, cheap and convenient pencil sharpener which can be conveniently used, which will operate effectively and quickly to sharpen the pencil with a uniform point.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular details of construction hereinbefore set forth, as these constitute the preferred form of my invention, since the invention can be variously availed of with such structural modifications as will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art.

hat I claim is the following-defined novel features and combinations, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, namely:

1. In a pencil sharpener, a circular surface having two adjacent ann ular roughened faces respectively coarse and fine, in combihation with a pencilholder pivoted axially of said surface nearest to its coarse face and constructed to hold a pencil thereagainst with the point against the time face and the body against the coarse one, said parts constructed to rotate the one around the other, whereby by such rotation the periphery of the pencil is cut, the point fine and the body coarse.

2. In a pencil sharpener, the disk D having handle a, circular roughened surface A, and metal portion 1), in combination with the holder B having body portion F pivoted at 0 against said portion 1) of said disk, and having aperture h adapted to engage the pencil and hold the latter in position against said surface A.

3. A combined pencil sharpener and paper weight consisting of the disk D having flange a adapted to rest on the paper, and roughened surface A adapted to cut the pencil, in combination with holder 13 adapted to hold the pencil against said surface pivotally connect- 491,996 I l r 3 ed to said disk D, and having handlet'adapted" aperture is and adapted when a cigar tip is to permit the lifting of the disk when used as a paper weight.

4. A combined pencil sharpener and cigar cutter consisting, of the disk D provided with a roughened surface A for cutting the pencil, and having a metal portion b constructed with knife-edged aperture is, in combination with pencil holder B adapted to hold the penoil in position over said surface A, pivoted to said portion b of said disk, and having knife-edged aperture Z coinciding with said inserted through said apertures and said holder is moved relatively to said disk, to cut 15 on said tip. I

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALTON H. FANCHER.

Witnesses:

GEORGE H. FRASER, CHARLES K. FRASER. 

